United Nations and international aid agencies say it is almost impossible to provide humanitarian services in and around the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, because it is too dangerous for staff to move around without assurances of safety from the warring parties.
“There are calls from various organizations and people trapped asking for evacuations,” said Farid Aiywar, head of delegation in Sudan for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Speaking on a video link from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, he said, “For the past four days, people have been out of water, food, and electricity has been rationed in some places or been totally disconnected.
“So, we are talking about a situation where there have been calls to the Sudanese Red Crescent and also to the international Red Cross movement present in Sudan, almost on a daily basis from people wanting basic humanitarian services.”
He said this will not be possible until there are assurances of safety for volunteers. “We have thousands of volunteers who are ready, able and trained to perform humanitarian services. Unfortunately, due to the current situation, they are not able to move.”
Nevertheless, he said the Sudanese Red Crescent has been able to mobilize 246 volunteers from its Khartoum branch to support medical staff in hospitals, adding that “This is very minimum compared to the total ability we are able to mobilize, which is almost 40,000 at one go” from the country’s 18 branches.
In the four days since fighting broke out in Khartoum between the Sudanese army and Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces at least 185 people reportedly have been killed and 1,800 wounded.
While much of the fighting is concentrated in the heavily populated parts of the capital, it has expanded into residential areas of cities throughout the country.
Volker Türk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, who is calling for an immediate cessation to hostilities, warns the widespread use of air strikes, artillery shelling and explosive weapons in civilian areas is exposing the population to the risk of death and injury.
“Both parties must remind their fighters of their obligations under international law to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, and they must ensure that these obligations are respected.”
The high commissioner chastised the warring parties, noting that, “The fighting is born out of power games and personal interests that only serve to alienate the democratic aspirations of the population.
“Do those responsible not understand that the civilian population now only craves a peaceful life?”
The biggest losers from this latest setback are the civilians who are likely to remain without essential aid for the foreseeable future. The World Health Organization says that many of the nine hospitals in Khartoum that are receiving injured civilians are reporting shortages of everything, including blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids, medical supplies, and other lifesaving commodities.
Margaret Harris, WHO spokeswoman, said movement is severely restricted because of the dangerous security situation and that “is making it so difficult for staff to get to the hospitals,” adding that, “We have seen serious attacks on healthcare.”
She said the WHO has documented three attacks, though “We know of many more. At least three people have been killed and two injured but those are only the first that have been verified.”
She condemned the attacks on healthcare, noting that, “they are a flagrant violation of humanitarian law and the right to health and they must stop now. It is absolutely critical for everybody concerned that those attacks stop.
“Our staff currently, I understand are safe,” she said, “but it is also one of our crucial things, as for all our sister agencies, to protect their safety.”
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